Spelling is the magic key to community cohesion in this simplistic but sincere wish-fulfilment drama. Playing like a fictional take on the 2002 documentary Spellbound, it uses the story of a precocious African-American girl's gift for words as a focal point to explore the current US preoccupation with junior spelling contests. Keke Palmer is wonderful as the talented 11-year-old Akeelah, who gradually finds the self-belief to ignore her mocking south Los Angeles classmates and sceptical mother (Angela Bassett) and enter a televised national spelling bee. Crucial to Akeelah's inspirational journey is Laurence Fishburne as her reluctant coach, whose dignified performance helps bolster the film's commendable intellectual and emotional messages. Although the plot is predictable, with the outcome blatantly obvious, it's hard not to get drawn into events, particularly when the tense competition unfolds. Only the final sequences descend into naive fantasy, as even gang members stop their shady activities to root for their local spelling star.